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Kristin Cavallari Opens Up About Her Brother's Death One Year Later: ''I'd Be Lying If I Said It Wasn't Hard''

Michael Cavallari was found dead on Dec. 10, 2015

By Beth Sobol, Kendall Fisher Nov 17, 2016 10:35 PMTags
Michael Cavallari, Kristin Cavallarigrandcountyutah.net; Splash News

It's hard to believe, but we're already approaching the one-year anniversary of Michael Cavallari's tragic death.

Kristin Cavallari's brother was found dead on Dec. 10, 2015, and now the mother-of-three is opening up about the "roller coaster" year following the devastating news.

She sat down with E! News, admitting, "Its been tough, its been a roller coaster, especially now with the one-year anniversary coming up, its sort of opening all the wounds again. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard."

Thus, her family has already made plans to be together on the actual anniversary in order to help one another cope. 

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"I'm going to be with my family on the actual day, which hopefully will help," she said. "Talking about it is probably the most important thing so I'm lucky I have a great support system with my immediate family, with Jay [Cutler] and with my parents as well."

Kristin revealed, "My mom actually lost her brother when she was just a little bit older than me, so not only does she understand what I'm going through because it's her son, but she also lost her brother. So she's been really great for me to lean and go to as someone who truly understands what I'm going through as well."

Kristin Cavallari

However, this time of year also brings lots of happiness for Kristin and her family.

Not only will Thanksgiving kick off the holiday season, but the day before the feast, the family will celebrate Saylor James' first birthday!

"With all three of my kids, we've never done big, elaborate birthdays so we're keeping it small," Kristin explained. "My dad will be in town for Thanksgiving so it works out, luckily, that he'll be here for her birthday as well. I'm going to make her cupcakes—I'm actually going to make cupcakes from my cookbook that I'm working on: vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I'll put a little candle on it, get her a few presents and call it a day."

As for her daughter's gifts, Kristin revealed, "She basically plays with balls and cars. She doesn't have a lot of girl toys, so we'll get her some girl toys finally."

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Kristin says Saylor has added so much joy to the household since coming into the world on Nov. 23, 2015.

"Saylor has brought such a calming energy to the whole house. I think the energy in the house has shifted and its been really nice for everybody," Mama K explained. "The boys are so sweet with her, it's really cute to see Jay and see how playful and adorable he is with her."

However, the mother-of-three admits it's a little difficult to tell her daughter no. "She's pretty sensitive. Right now, her biggest thing is she throws her food on the floor and feeds the dog, and [when] we tell her no, she gets so upset."

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Thus, K.Cav always has her go-to cleaning necessity on hand: Young Living Essential Oils Thieves Cleaner, which not only pick up Saylor's mess, but also help sanitize and boost her immunity.

But more than just making her clean up a bit more (thank goodness for her partnership with Bounty), Kristin says Saylor has made her way more compassionate. 

"Becoming a mom has softened me. It's made me a more compassionate, loving person, especially with a daughter," she admitted. "I'm just so excited. My mom is really my best friend so I'm excited to hopefully have that same relationship with Saylor."

She continued, "The boys will eventually get married and I won't be the number one girl in their lives anymore, but I'm hoping I will always have that bond with Saylor. Between a mother and daughter, it's just a really special, unique bond. I'm just so happy to be able to experience that."

—Reporting by Beth Sobol